1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to audio capture devices, and more specifically, to a method and related device for automatically selecting an audio input port when capturing audio data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When capturing audio data, end users generally need to manually select the correct audio source among several different possible audio sources. Capture devices often have several different audio input ports that can be used for inputting audio signals from different audio sources. For example, suppose a user wants to use a capture card to capture a TV program or a program played on a VCR. Before capturing can begin, the user needs to select the correct audio input port through which the audio signals are input. The capture device may contain audio input ports such as “line-in” and “aux-in”, as well as a variety of other input ports such as microphone, CD-in, and so on. The capture software will present a menu or a switch for having the user select the proper audio input port.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating manually selecting an audio input port according to the prior art. Steps contained in the flowchart will be explained below.
Step 10: Start;
Step 12: Connect an audio cable of the audio source to an audio input port of the capture device;
Step 14: Use a software menu to select an audio input port of the capture device through which to capture the audio data;
Step 16: Test to see if the selected audio input port is receiving the correct audio data;
Step 18: If the selected audio input port is correct, go to step 20; if not, go to step 14 to select another audio input port; and
Step 20: End.
As shown in FIG. 1, the user must use a software menu for selecting the audio input port through trial and error. The more available audio input ports there are to select from, the greater the chances are that the user will choose incorrectly. Not only does this slow down the setup process for capturing audio, but it may also lead to incorrect audio recordings being made.